At the present time, when conventional aircraft land, the entire aircraft is subjected to tremendous forces when the wheels touch the ground, which forces are transmitted through the entire plane structure, the fuselage, the wings and the empennage. The repeated exertion of these forces on the parts produces fatigue and ultimate failure of structural components of the aircraft. The violent shock to the aircraft upon landing further results in loss of complete pilot control over the aircraft during the landing procedure, with resultant danger to the safety of the passengers aboard the aircraft.
Various attempts have been made to mitigate these forces by rotating the aircraft wheels in the direction of travel, examples of such devices being illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,408,263, 2,464,872 and 4,040,582. Devices for carrying out the wheel rotation, however, require extensive modification or replacement of existing aircraft wheel structure, thereby resulting in considerable expense for manufacture and installation.